New Life
by ForTheGloryOfSparta
Summary: Just before Percy left, Sally found out she was going to have another baby. Now he's coming back from another war and Sally's worried about how he'll react to having a new sister. This is the meeting between a new big brother and his little sister, and how their life and the lives of those who love them continue upon the return from war. A series of one-shots (Image is viria's)
1. Meeting Little Sister

**A/N: Alright, new story. This takes place after the war with the Giants, the potential war with the Romans, Tartarus, all that. I am saying that it is around late August the year after Percy went missing. I realize that there is a lot of dialogue here, and it is not my cleanest writing, but I had a blast writing it anyway, so I hope you can still enjoy reading it.**

**Let me know if you think I should continue or leave it as a one-shot**

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Paul watched Sally nervously pace back and forth in the lobby of the Empire State Building. He sat in a brightly decorated office lounge on the fifty first floor of the building, where he and Sally had been led as soon as they walked into the lobby. Paul sat in a plush green chair on the edge of the lounge by the door, gently rocking the stroller next to him as he impatiently waited for the doors to open again. He was surrounded by several unfamiliar faces, parents of the other demigods on the quest. As he waited, he thought back to the call that brought them here.

* * *

Paul had been just about ready to leave for work when the phone rang. Sally was deeply engrossed in the baby she held in her arms, so he rushed to answer the phone himself, hoping the call wouldn't make him late.

"Jackson-Blowfis residence," he stated as he picked up the receiver.

"Hello, is this Mr. Paul Blowfis?" the voice on the other end asked.

"This is he," Paul sighed. The guy didn't sound like he meant to be quick. Now, he was going to be late. He should have just let the phone ring.

"Hello Mr. Blowfis. I apologize for taking up your time," the voice responded as if he knew what Paul was thinking, "but I must confirm some matters before I continue speaking. If my information is correct you have been told about the gods by your wife and step-son?"

Whatever Paul expected the man on the other end to say, that was not it. "Um, y-yes. May I ask who is calling?" Paul asked suspiciously.

"My apologies, Mr. Blowfis, this is Lord Hermes, messenger of the gods, calling from Olympus. I am calling to request your and your wife's presence at the Empire State Building. We have a group of demigods recently back from a quest. One of whom is Percy Jackson."

Paul froze for a moment. Then he cried out, "Sally! Sally! We have to leave now! Percy is back!" _I guess I am not getting to work at all, _was his last full thought before he felt his mind scatter, running in a thousand different directions a million miles a minute. After a moment, he turned his attention back the the man, the _god_, on the phone, "We will be right over, Lord Hermes."

* * *

A voice cut through the tension in the room, pulling Paul out of his recollection. "Ma'am," the man who sat across from him called to Sally, "I am sure the children will be down soon. You should sit though. You look exhausted."

The man wasn't wrong, Sally looked almost dead on her feet. She looked like she was about to protest, but then just sighed and say down on the opposite side of the stroller. She looked down at the baby girl who slept peacefully in it, oblivious to the anxious air around her.

Sally looked back at the man. He did not look so good himself, pale and shaking a little. Sally pinpointed the problem almost instantly, "You are new to the whole Greek gods thing, aren't you?"

The man gave a raw little laugh, "That obvious, huh? Yeah, I just got a call saying that my daughter was the daughter of a goddess and on her way back from a war..." He trailed off and made a small distraught noise, putting his head in his hands. When he looked up again, he stood up and walked over to Sally and Paul, shaking their hands, "Tristan McLean, nice to meet you."

"Sally Jackson and Paul Blowfis." The man then turned to the other couple in the room, shaking their hands as well.

"Fredrick and Helen Chase," The blond man stated. He gestured to the twin boys who sat next to them, whispering quietly, "And this is Bobby and Matthew. They aren't normally this quiet." Fredrick turned towards Sally, "Jackson as in Percy Jackson?"

Sally smiled crookedly and responded, "Chase as in Annabeth Chase?"

Fredrick returned the smile. "I owe your son a lot, he has saved my daughter countless times."

"Well, the same goes for Annabeth. I am pretty sure Percy never would have made it where he is today without her."

Fredrick nodded in acknowledgement, then gestured to the stroller, "Annabeth never mentioned that Percy had a little sister though."

Sally looked down and sighed, "That's because Percy doesn't know that he has a sister."

"What do you mean he doesn't know?" Tristan asked.

Sally tried to answer, but realized she couldn't without crying. Paul answered for her, "When the gods saw that Gaea was rising, Hera took the leaders of the camp for Roman demigods and the camp for Greek demigods, wiped their memories, and dropped them in each other's camps." Tristan nodded like he knew this, so Paul continued. "Percy is the leader of the Greek camp. He has been gone for almost a year now. Sally found out she was pregnant just a few weeks before he was kidnapped. She planned on telling him when he came back from winter break. But... well, he never did." Paul gestured to the baby, "Hayley was born just under a month ago."

"Ah," Tristan murmured. "That's why you are so nervous then? You are worried about how Percy will react to a new half-sister."

Sally nodded miserably, "I should have told him as soon as I found out."

Helen, Annabeth's step-mom, reached over and patted Sally's hand. "I wouldn't worry about that too much. I met Percy when he was over in California to rescue Annabeth a few years ago. He seems like the sweetest kid."

"Thank you for saying that, Helen."

Just then, the door opened and all heads in the room whipped towards it. A man with black hair streaked with white walked into the room. He was wearing a suit, but on his feet were gym shoes... with fluttering wings coming out of the backs.

He cleared his throat, "The Olympian council has concluded. The Seven of the Prophecy will be down shortly," and he whisked out of the room.

Sally couldn't help noticing that their were only parents for three of the demigods. That meant four of them didn't have anyone.

When the door opened again, two girls walked in. The one with copper skin and choppy hair was supported on one side by a younger girl with gold eyes and darker skin. There was a heavy looking cast on her left foot. "Oh, Piper," Tristan breathed, standing up. The girl looked up at him and her eyes lit up at the sight of her father. She let go of the other girl and hopped all the way across the room to crush her father is a tight hug.

A blond boy walked in a few moments later. He walked over to Tristan and introduced himself. The girl who came in with Piper turned to Sally and Paul. She stuck out her hand. "I'm Hazel. The others are coming down. I think all of us are in various states of happiness and shock that it's all over."

Sally nodded understandingly, and watched as a thin, lanky boy walked in with grease smeared on his hands, followed shortly afterwards by a bulky boy who hugged Hazel before they all turned to watch Piper introduce the blond, Jason, to her father as her boyfriend. They watched with fond smiles.

It seemed like ages, but eventually, the door was thrown open again, and Sally started crying right then. Supporting a familiar blond with a foot that matched Piper's was a young man with the most brilliant green eyes and crooked smile. He led Annabeth to a couch, where she sat surrounded by her family. Then he turned back to his mom.

For a moment, neither of them moved, only stared. It was hard to believe that after all this time, he had made it back safely. Sally noticed that his skin was littered with more scars than before, and that he looked terribly bedraggled, but he was her boy and she was just happy he was alive. Eventually, he came forward and he hugged her tightly. After a few moments, he turned to Paul and hugged him too. Paul wasn't expecting it, so he stumbled, but hugged him back once he got his balance again.

Percy pulled away and looked like he was about to say something, but his eyes landed on the stroller. What ever he meant to say died in his throat. Sally suddenly got nervous all over again. How was he going to react?

Her son took a few steps towards the little green buggy, and stared down at the little girl inside. When Sally peeked over the edge, she saw that little Hayley's blue eyes were open, staring curiously at the new face staring back at her.

Percy looked up at his mom and back down at the baby and back up at his mom again. "When?" He asked. His voice sounded strangled.

"I found out in the end of November, three weeks before you left for winter break. I was going to tell you when you got back, but... Anyway, she was born a little early, on August 3rd."

He gestured to the baby, "May I?"

Sally was a little startled that he felt the need to ask, "Of course, sweetie."

Percy reached down and picked up the small child. He couldn't help noticing how his scared, war-roughened hands looked ever worse when placed next to the little baby's perfect pink and porcelain skin. Before he even knew what was happening, he felt tears start streaming down his face.

Sally watched her son with concern. He kept his eyes on the baby in his arms as he choked on his words, "I can't believe I missed this. I am so sorry, baby. So, so sorry." He looked up at Sally and Paul, and her heart broke at the distraught expression on his face. "I am so sorry," he repeated.

Hayley reached up and grabbed the collar of his shirt. Percy let out a strangled laugh.

Annabeth hobbled over, and looked at the baby in his arms. "Percy's a big brother? Gods help that child," she laughed.

"Hey!"

Sally was content to stand by and watch at this point. Percy surprised her, being more upset that he missed the whole beginning than upset about having a new addition to the family. In fact, as Sally watched her son, surrounded by a group of friends fawning over the new baby, she was confident enough to say that having the baby made Percy quite happy. He just came back from a war, and by the looks of him and his friends, it was harder than the last. Maybe having some new life will even help him heal.

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**Review! Let me know if you think I should continue this. It could stay as a one-shot, or I could write a few more chapters.**


	2. Up Late

**A/N: WHAOH. You guys are amazing! I never thought that this little story I whipped up would be so warmly received! Thank you so so so much for your reviews! So yes, I am continuing, and I have plenty of ideas! What I think this story is going to become is a collection of one-shots revolving around the new baby, but also revolving around general life after the war, how Percy and Co. deal with being back in a mundane setting. **

**So here is chapter two and I hope you enjoy!**

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Just before the family of four left the office in Empire State Building, another black haired, green eyed man came through the door. Poseidon pulled Sally and Paul aside, leaving Percy and Annabeth and the rest of the seven with the new baby. He gave them a brief overview about what had happened since they had last seen Percy. He told them about the quest to Alaska, the battle at Camp Jupiter, Tartarus, the big finale at the Doors of Death, and then how they managed to stop the war between the Greeks and the Romans before it started. Sally wanted to start crying all over again for all that her boy had been through. She knew it would be a long road to recovery for him.

That was three days ago now. Since then, Percy has had nightmares every night. Tonight was no different. He woke up in a cold sweat, disoriented and afraid and missing a certain blonde-haired, grey-eyed genius, before he recalled that he had made it home, he was safe, and his genius was trying to spend a few nights with her family. He glanced at the clock. 3:34am. Noticing the horrible scratchy dryness in his throat, Percy got up to get a glass of water.

He leaned against the counter as he tossed the water down his throat, and wiped his dark, sweaty hair off his forehead. The entire house was quiet, he felt like everything was holding it's breath, waiting for something to shatter the silence.

When a noise came, it didn't so much shatter the silence as it gently chiseled it away. Percy's attention was first caught by just a small, high pitched cooing noise. He made his way down the hallway of the flat, and poked his head into Hayley's room.

He almost cooed at the sight himself. Hayley was in her crib, blue eyes bright and sparkling as she watched the little mobile rotate above her. He walked over to her crib and just watched her for a few minutes. He was truly astounded sometimes by this little baby girl. To her everything in the world was new and bright and wonderful. That kind of outlook was hard for him to have, he had been through hell, after all. It just reminded him that he has a lot to learn from this new little child in his life.

Suddenly, the brightness in Hayley's eyes turned to tears, but just before she started crying, Percy swept her up and started bouncing her up and down gently, resting her on his hip. She looked like she was debating for a while, whether or not she was going to cry. She remained quite.

"So," Percy looked at her, "my attention is just as good as mommy's or daddy's? I will keep that in mind." She gurgled a little bit in response, and he just laughed quietly. Percy hummed softly as he lowered himself into the blue rocking chair in the corner of the room, bringing Hayley around to rest in his lap as he did. He turned her to face him.

"You are amazing, you know that?" He asked her. "There is so much potential bunched up in that little body of yours. You are going to grow up and do great things, I can feel it. I can see it in your bright little blue eyes. And you already take so much after mom, I wouldn't be surprised if you acted like her too. And she is one of the best women on this planet, so you're set. And you know what? You are going to do it in a world where you are safe from... monsters and... angry gods. You want to know how I know? Because I am going to make it that way. Just for you." He kissed he forehead and pulled a little blanket up over their laps. He sat and watched her until her eyes slowly closed again. Then, he drifted off to sleep again himself.

Paul woke up with a start, shocked to see it was light outside. The baby was too young to sleep through the night, and he always woke up when she started crying. He glanced to the clock. 8:48am. Sally groaned and rolled over next to him, just starting to wake up herself. She sat up and looked out the window, blocking the sun streaming through it with a hand held like a visor over her eyes. Suddenly, she stiffened, and Paul figured she came to the same conclusion he did. They looked at each other, scared, "Baby," they said in unison.

Sally and Paul shot out of their bed and down the hall to the baby's room. Sally got there first. She let out a little laugh and a sigh of relief at the sight that greeted her. Paul looked into the room as well. In the big blue rocking chair in the corner, Percy was sleeping with little Hayley on his lap, nestled in his crooked arm against his torso. Both of their mouths drooped open just a tiny bit as they slept. Sally grabbed the camera from the wooden dresser and snapped a quick picture.

Percy woke up slowly for the first time in longer than he cares to remember. He forgot the simple pleasure of quietly blinking the sleep out of your eyes, as opposed to the violent, startling awakenings that have become commonplace in his life. He looked down to see little baby Hayley still curled up in the crook of his arm. _No more nightmares last night. This child might be better for me than I realized, _Percy thought to himself. He just hoped he could return the favor one day.

Percy stood up, taking Hayley with him. He gently brought her around to his hip, where she rested her head against his shoulder and continued to sleep. He draped a soft pink blanket over his sister as he made his way into the kitchen, one handedly putting together a bowl of cereal. Just as Percy was getting ready to sit down, he heard a sudden, short laugh from behind him. Startled, he had to struggle recover the balance of his bowl in one hand and his sister in the other.

Percy whirled around to face the noise, surprised to see his girlfriend sitting on the couch in the living room.

"Annabeth!" He set his bowl down to give her a one armed hug and a quick kiss. He hadn't seen her since they left Olympus three days ago. It was hard, really hard, not to be with her, but her family wanted her to themselves for a few days, and Percy could respect that. They had been able to Iris-message each other in the middle of the night, when the nightmares got to be too much. Ever since they had crawled out of Tartarus, though, the young couple found it difficult to separate. Just looking at the two, one could see they didn't sleep well.

The two sat down at the kitchen table, recounting the mundane events of the past few days as Percy ate his cereal. The idea that their days could be quiet was so foreign that it made good conversation. The two heroes recognized that they were perhaps a little more war-torn then they let on. Their days were plagued with flashbacks and constant reminders of those who died in the Giant war, and their nights brought no solace. For now, their life revolved around trying to return to normalcy, which was a lot harder than it sounded. The seven had a hard time being apart from each other. Everyone remained in New York for the time being because of it.

Their conversation pulled Hayley's little blue eyes open and she whined a little bit. Percy quickly began trying to sooth her, and soon enough she was quite again.

"Who knew the two time Hero of Olympus was so easily domesticated," Annabeth teased fondly.

"Shut it, Wise Girl."

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**So I am leaving for Brazil tonight, but I will keep writing and, if I have internet, I will update while I am gone. If not, you will for sure get one on Monday. **

**Next chapter: Babysitting!**

**Please review! **


	3. Percy's Bad Days

**A/N: I'm back from Brazil! I got back just this morning. **

**First, wow. You guys have me in shock! Thank you all for your wonderful wonderful feed back! Thank you for following and favoriting too.**

**So, I have two chapters for you this afternoon, one now and one after I go out to lunch with my family (really only because I only have time to write on quick Author's note before we head out). **

**So you know how I said next chapter was baby sitting? Yeah, I lied, I am sorry. I didn't know I was lying. I just wanted to post this one first for the sake of chronology. **

**So my fingers slipped and you got a bit of angsty Percabeth in the beginning, but I hope you don't mind. After that you get baby!**

**Enjoy!**

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After the two came back from the war, Percy and Annabeth had a very difficult time separating. When they weren't in each other's line of sight, they worried that something had happened to the other. For this reason, and because Annabeth wanted to be as close to camp as possible, Annabeth and Percy talked to their parents about having Annabeth relocate to the Jackson-Blowfis residence. A week later, all of her clothing was neatly folded in the dresser in the extra room, and an assortment of blueprints scatted the desk. It might sound a little clingy, a little codependent, but the two always knew the life of a demigod was never really safe. Tartarus drilled the idea into their heads. Besides, Percy and Annabeth were more than just dates, they were best friends. It was nice to be able to watch out for your best friend.

Aside from just the danger, they helped each other heal. They were both very good at putting up fronts, but anyone who knew them well could tell that Tartarus had damaged them. Severely. Percy's sense of humor wasn't quite what it used to be (at first it wasn't even there), and Annabeth didn't get quite the same rush of pleasure at answering questions or talking about her plans for Olympus. However, it was obvious within the first few weeks that if one encouraged the other, if Percy told Annabeth to tell Sally or Paul about what she did for this temple or that garden, or if Annabeth reminded Percy to tell and funny story, it became much easier for the other to pull out their old personality for some time. And Sally and Paul watched patiently as those periods of time became longer and longer until the teenagers were almost back to what they were before.

"Almost," because Annabeth's eyes would still glaze over, and she would still grip the closest thing to her a little too tightly as she waited for a flashback to pass. "Almost," because Percy would still spend a night wide awake, too afraid to close his eyes, lest the nightmares catch up to him again. They would both still have the days where they wouldn't speak or eat or _anything_ because they were so wrapped up in the past. They called those "Bad Days." Paul and Sally knew the two would never be quite the same. They had seen too much, done to much, felt to much for that to ever happen.

However, when Annabeth gripped a table top until her knuckles turned white, Percy was always there to carefully pry them off while he spoke soothingly into her ear until she regained awareness of her surroundings again. When Percy woke in the middle of the night, Annabeth was there to remind him that they were safe.

This was why Paul was a little worried when Annabeth's family asked her to come home for Christmas. He understood, of course, they wanted to spend the holiday with their daughter, especially after not seeing her very much at all in the past year.

Paul watched Percy carefully after they dropped Annabeth off at the airport. He seemed sad, but fairly calm at the moment. That much was a small relief, Paul just hoped Percy wouldn't have a Bad Day while Annabeth was gone. For a few days, Paul's hopes held out. It wasn't until three days before Christmas that there was a problem.

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December 22nd started pretty normally. Paul sat down at the table while Sally fed the baby and ate his breakfast. The Christmas tree hovered over the table decorated with all sorts of colorful lights and ornaments. A big glass jar of blue cookies held their place as the center piece in the center of the dark wood. Sally and Paul went about their morning routine for a little while. Read the newspaper, fold the laundry, entertain the small human being they created. Around ten o'clock, Sally glanced at the clock again and noticed it was getting late for Percy to still be sleeping. She wondered over to his door and knocked gently. When there was not response, she knew there were two possibilities. 1) Percy was still sleeping or 2) Percy was going to be completely introverted today.

She opened the door to find Percy sitting on his bed with his feet flat on the floor, forearms on his knees and eyes trained steadily on the ground. She sighed. Without Annabeth here, it was likely he was going to be like this most of the day. She left the room, leaving the door open in case he came out.

And then the day went on. Every once in a while, Sally or Paul would poke their heads in to see if he had moved, but, unsurprisingly but no less disappointingly, he remained where he was. Sally and Paul hated feeling so helpless. Paul had finished folding a load of laundry just as Sally left for the store. He picked Hayley off the floor where she had been sitting, her blue eyes bright with happiness, pleased that she could sit up on her own now, and carried her in one arm over to Percy's room. He set her down on the bed next to the motionless teenager, not expecting him to react to the small child next to him.

Paul turned around and started putting away jeans and orange t-shirts and purple t-shirts and the occasional hoodie. He was surprised then, when Hayley made a little gurgling noise. She was generally quiet when no one was interacting with her. Well, quiet or crying. He was even more surprised at what he saw when he turned around.

Percy was still sitting on his bed, but only one arm was still on his thigh. The other was holding a finger out to Hayley, which she grabbed at and tried to put in her mouth. When she finally got there, Percy surprised Paul even more. He laughed. Percy never laughed on Bad Days. It was little, and it was broken, but it was a laugh no less.

"Oh c'mon, 'Lee," he chuckled, "I could have gone without your slobber all over my hand, thanks."

Percy spent his entire day in the same position, so his back hurt him a little bit when he turned towards her. He would have stayed there for the rest of the day if his attention hadn't been caught by his little sister. She was only just becoming strong enough to sit up on her own, so when Paul set her down on his bed, she got tired of holding herself up and flopped face first onto his right leg. Something about it woke Percy out of the stupor he had been stuck in all morning. For a moment he only stared at her, trying to comprehend what she was, where he was, and what this little thing was doing with its face smushed against his thigh. Then it registered, she was his little sister, he was at home, not in Tartarus, and she had probably fallen and couldn't push herself up. It took him another moment to realize that he should probably not let her lay on his leg like that for much longer.

As he held his finger out for her to grab, he wondered what it was about her that made him snap out of it. When he has these days, he tries to convince himself to move, when he can think clearly enough, but he never can. Something about Hayley needing help was what did it. He had to help his family, protect his little sister.

Percy didn't notice Paul slip out of the room. He decided it was better to leave the teenager to his own devices. It was a miracle that he moved at all, let alone spoke. He didn't want to risk ruining it. He left the door open though. Every time he walked by for the rest of the day, he would peek into Percy's room, just to see how he was doing. Every time, he would find Percy in a different place in his room; maybe on the floor, in the desk chair, on the bed, and he would be reading to or playing with or talking to his little sister. He would still look a little out of it, but he would be there, moving and speaking and _anything. _

It was almost possible to forget that today started off as a Bad Day at all.

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**So I hope you liked that. The next chapter will be up in just a few hours.**

**Review if you have a minute! I love hearing from you! Good or bad, let me know what you thought!**


	4. Babysitting

**A/N: Second chapter of the day. To be honest, I don't know what I think of this one. As promised, babysitting. I got a request to include Annabeth, so I did. A bit of a tie skip here. This is a year later. Hayley is one, Percy is 18. Enjoy. **

**Since** Percy found out he was a demigod all those years ago, Sally has become very accustomed to the feeling of nervousness. Normally, however, she was worried about her son's life. This was a very different kind of nervous.

"Are you sure you guys are going to be okay?" Sally asked as she futzed with the edge of a baby blanket.

"Mom, you have three Heroes of Olympus watching your child, one of whom is praetor of the Twelfth Roman Legion. And Annabeth and I practically run camp Half-Blood. We handle a whole bunch of antsy, easily distracted children on a daily basis. I think we can handle a single one year old child."

It was true. When the Giant War ended just over a year ago, the Roman legion relocated to New York so that they were close to the gods and the other half bloods in case there were ever to be trouble again. The camps were close to each other, and they tended to get along now, but the Greeks and the Romans made a mutual decision to still stay separate, if only for the sake of keeping both traditions alive. Jason and Reyna carried on as praetors, and Percy and Annabeth (somewhat accidentally) took on several of the leadership roles at camp Half-Blood.

Sally hadn't given in, "But-"

Paul decided to step in. If he didn't, they would be late for their reservation. "Sally, dear, I am sure they will be fine. Annabeth, Jason, and Percy are all very responsible young adults, and I am sure they will have no problems looking after Hayley." Paul looked over at them with a significant look, "Right?"

The three teenagers nodded, and Jason responded, "Of course, you have nothing to worry about. Enjoy your anniversary." By the time Paul had been able to usher Sally out the door for dinner, Hayley had woken up from her nap and was craving attention. She started crying. Percy picked her up, bouncing her on his hip, as he looked over Annabeth's shoulder. She was looking at a list of what needed to be done for the baby. Feed, bath, Et cetera. Nothing out of the ordinary for a one year old child.

"Do you two do this often?" Jason asked curiously.

"Nah," Percy laughed, "mom is too worried to leave Hayley alone after all the trouble I gave her as a child. I am actually really surprised we were finally able to convince her to go out with Paul with out Lee."

Jason looked mildly surprised, "Well, you are good at it." He jerked his head towards where Hayley reseted on Percy's hip, now content and quiet.

Percy smiled, "Well, I hope so. I think I would like to have kids of my own one day. I mean, if Annabeth is cool with it." He glanced over to the kitchen doorway, through which his girlfriend had recently disappeared. "Sometimes it is weird to think that I have a sister who is seventeen years younger than I, but I figure it is just good practice for if I ever do have a kid."

Jason didn't comment on Percy's assumption that Annabeth would be the mother of his children because he didn't doubt it, but he did find it striking. How many teenagers at the age of eighteen would be so sure that the person they were with was the one they would be with forever. Not many. Even Jason himself, though he hoped his relationship would last, wouldn't be able to speak about the future with the same certainty that Percy did.

The son of Jupiter watched as Annabeth came back from the kitchen and took Hayley from Percy's arms. She handled the baby with all the gentle grace of any mother he had ever seen. Watching them, Jason had no doubt that one day, if and when the two of them became parents, they would be really quite good at it.

* * *

The first hours or so passed with little incident. Jason left, as he had to get up early the next morning. Annabeth sat with Hayley as Percy whipped up a quick dinner. He made macaroni and cheese. It was simple, fast, and Hayley had no trouble eating it. At one point, Hayley started started crying, but by the time Percy had set down the stirring spoon and poked his head out into the living room, Annabeth had Hayley in her arms and was already gently shushing her. He leaned against the doorway, watching them for a few minutes as a small smile crept its way on to his face. He heard a sizzling noise, turned around and saw the water boiling over onto the stove. He jumped, and he went back to what he was doing.

The second hour was a little more eventful. They had all eaten Percy's macaroni, the taste of which Annabeth was pleasantly surprised with, and Hayley had been plopped in front of the television, watching Winnie the Pooh. The two eighteen year olds sat on the couch, enjoying the bittersweet taste of nostalgia.

"Can you believe," Percy said all the sudden, "that the last time I watched this I had no idea the gods existed, I hadn't gone on any quests, I... slept full nights."

"I hardly even remember what that's like," Annabeth murmured back.

Percy kissed her quickly, but pulled away even quicker upon hearing a large thump. Hayley was now much closer to the television than she was before. She placed her hands on the floor and stood up again, holding on to the near by coffee table for support. Percy and Annabeth watched in awe as she let go and took a few steps before falling on her butt again.

"Oh my gods! Her first steps on her own!" Annabeth exclaimed.

Percy tapped her repeatedly while his eyes remained on Hayley. "Annabeth, there is a video camera in the top drawer of the dresser in the baby room. Will you go grab it?"

* * *

Paul and Sally walked into the apartment, not really knowing what to expect. They had stayed out later than they both expected, so they were a little worried about the kids they left at home. They hadn't received any frantic calls, but still... He half expected the place to be a total train wreck, but he also recognized that Percy and Annabeth really cared for Hayley, and, therefore would do a fine job watching her.

He opened the door to a still silence. He walked through the entryway, poked his head into the kitchen and the dining room and still did not see anyone. Only when he reached the living room, did he find the inhabitants.

Annabeth was on her stomach on the couch, her blond curls splayed across the couch on one side of her head. Her hand hung down towards the slightly larger one that leaned on the couch, reaching up from the floor, where Percy lay on his back. The hand that wasn't resting against the sofa was wrapped around a much smaller body that lay on his chest.

Paul wondered if he should wake them up, if he should get them to move to bed. He stood and watched the kids for a moment. He noticed how the two older kids looked peaceful as the slept, how fingers didn't twitch, and how eyes didn't speed around under their lids. It was rare enough an occurrence, that Paul just let them sleep

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**Leave me a review if you've got the time. **

**Next chapter: Bath time! Some quality time for our hero and his little sister**


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